Getty Rookie CB Michael Jacquet makes a sideline tackle on Cowboys WR Michael Gallup.
The Eagles added undrafted rookie cornerback Michael Jacquet to the active roster on Tuesday. The converted wide receiver out of Lousiana-Lafayette earned lofty praise for his heady play two weeks ago during fill-in duty (30 defensive snaps) against the Cowboys. While Jacquet was limited to special teams in Week 10, the team must have seen enough to promote him this week.
The 6-foot-2, 201-pounder immediately becomes the biggest corner on the roster and the one with the best reach. Jacquet wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in late February but his massive wingspan (82 1/8) would have been the longest by a whopping four inches.
Jeff Odukah, the third overall pick, had the longest wingspan (78 5/8) among corners listed in Indianapolis. Maybe it’s a random stat, but it’s an impressive one. With reserve cornerback Craig James hitting IR earlier this week, Jacquet should at least have a special-teams role against Cleveland.
Jacquet turned heads in Week 8 when Darius Slay went down, stepping in and helping shut down Cowboys star Amari Cooper. Eagles captain Rodney McLeod hyped up the Texas native who was making his NFL debut. He was targeted three times and allowed only one catch for 11 yards.
“He stepped in and had to fill some big shoes,” McLeod told reporters last week. “Slay goes down, and now he’s asked to come in [for] a meaningful game with our season on the line, and he didn’t blink.
“And continually out there, he’ll tell you, he was saying, ‘Bro, I got this. I’m good. Like, you don’t have to tell me everything.’ And that’s what you want to see from a rookie: a guy like himself who’s confident, and he made plays.”
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Adrian Killins Returns to Practice Squad
Adrian Killins returns to the Eagles’ nest after being signed, waived/released and re-signed a whopping seven times this year. The only game the rookie running back wasn’t on the practice squad for was last week’s disappointing loss to New York. Killins was elevated in Week 4 when he played eight offensive snaps against San Francisco. He ran one time for minus-12 yards and caught one ball for two yards.
Killins, an undrafted free agent out of Central Florida, ran for 2,459 yards on the ground while accounting for 864 receiving yards and 34 total touchdowns for the Black Knights. He was considered one of the fastest players in college football and the “5-foot-8 blur” posted an unofficial 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Unfortunately, Killins wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.
Roster Moves: #Eagles have signed CB Michael Jacquet from the practice squad to the active roster and signed RB Adrian Killins to the practice squad.
Jalen Reagor Could See More Punt Returns
Eagles special-teams coordinator Dave Fipp is starting to sound like a broken record. He teases more punt return chances for Jalen Reagor every week but the rookie has struggled to make the most of his opportunities. Fipp sent Reagor out there for one last week versus New York but the booming punt — 61 yards in the air, another 10 yards on the roll, per Fipp — went over his head.
“I think he is a developing player,” Fipp said. “By no means am I saying he shouldn’t be able to handle that. I know he knows he can do it. We know he can do it. I believe in him.”
Reagor admitted that Fipp told him he probably should have handled it. He will next time, but the burner from Texas Christian isn’t of the mind to lobby for more special-teams snaps.
“Nah, I haven’t really talked much to him about it,” Reagor said. “I’m just letting the coaches make the decisions that they making and I just do what I’m told.”
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